YouTube TV may be getting cheaper in 2026, however there is a catch

Within the US, there are a variety of live TV streaming options — similar to DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo, and Hulu+ Dwell TV — however YouTube TV stays one of many largest and hottest. The primary downside for cord-cutters, nonetheless, is worth. The bottom plan begins at $83 per 30 days, a steep leap from the $35 month-to-month charge it launched with in 2017. To make the service extra reasonably priced and entice extra customers, Google could lastly introduce adjustments that customers have been ready years for.

YouTube TV is reportedly making ready to launch new, lower-cost TV packages early subsequent 12 months, in line with Cord Cutter News. These lower-cost packages would goal particular audiences, with one of many important choices stated to be a sports-focused package deal that includes channels like ESPN, Fox Sports activities, and NBC Sports activities.

Proper now, YouTube TV provides solely a single all-in-one plan with greater than 100 reside channels. The thought behind these new, lower-cost packages, or “skinny TV bundles” as they’re usually referred to as, is to take choose channels from the total lineup and supply them in smaller, cheaper packages to assist minimize down on the price of reside TV, and supply individuals simply the channels they really need to watch.

It is necessary to notice that YouTube TV hasn’t made any official announcement about this, and Wire Cutter Information does not disclose its supply. So whereas it is thrilling that YouTube TV might lastly offer some cheaper TV packages quickly, it is price taking this with a grain of salt proper now.

YouTube TV might be taking a web page from DirecTV’s playbook

DirecTV provides Style Packs, which can be much like what YouTube TV would possibly finally supply

Credit score: Erik Mclean / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

Moreover a probably extra reasonably priced sports activities package deal coming to YouTube TV subsequent 12 months, Wire Cutter Information additionally reviews that YouTube would possibly supply different cheap choices, similar to a youngsters package deal with channels like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, in addition to an “entertainment-focused” package deal that features channels with drama sequence and flicks.

Up to now, all these cheaper, smaller packages that YouTube TV might supply subsequent 12 months remind me of DirecTV’s Genre Packs. Whereas DirecTV provides a number of massive all-in-one packages with a lot of channels, its Style Packs, which it launched earlier this 12 months, are less expensive and supply only a collection of channels geared toward particular audiences.

For instance, DirecTV’s MyEntertainment pack contains over 60 information and leisure channels, similar to A&E, AMC, CNN, HGTV, and FX, for $35 per 30 days. DirecTV additionally provides a MySports Style Pack, which incorporates over 20 sports-focused channels, together with ESPN, NBC, TNT, CBS Sports activities Community, and native ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC stations the place accessible, priced at $60 per 30 days.

It seems like YouTube TV could also be taking a web page instantly from DirecTV’s playbook if it launches lower-cost, genre-based packages subsequent 12 months — and truthfully, I am all for it. I do know loads of individuals who have zero curiosity in sports activities and solely need leisure channels, simply as I do know others who solely activate reside TV for sports activities and get every thing else from streaming providers like Netflix, and these new lower-cost TV packages would work nice for them.

For my part, extra reasonably priced, focused bundles are a better route for reside TV — and a significantly better various to the bloated, all-in-one packages that some streamers supply, the place you find yourself paying for content material you may by no means watch.

YouTube TV hasn’t formally introduced these potential bundles, and Wire Cutter Information did not title its supply, so it is unclear whether or not these cheaper YouTube TV packages would possibly truly come subsequent 12 months. In different information, YouTube TV lately signed a brand new distribution deal with Disney, so at the least all of the Disney-owned channels will stay on the service for the foreseeable future, together with ESPN.